Creating with a Cricut Machine is an ongoing learning experience. Here I will share my card making and scrapbooking ideas and tips with others and hopefully help you with your own projects and designs for making handmade greeting cards. Join me as I learn the art of creating special homemade cards and scrapbooking layouts. Happy Cricuting!
Visit each week for a new homemade card and scrapbook layout.

Homemade Cards-A Special Touch

A Homemade Card, like ones I make with my Cricut Machine, gives recipients a special feeling, they know I planned ahead for their special occasion and took the time and care to create a greeting card just for them. I have sent out many of the cards featured in this blog and I get wonderful thank you's back, expressing how nice it was to receive a beautiful and homemade card.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Thursday's Scrapbook Layout for March 24, 2011

As I continue to make a scrapbook for my now grown daughter, I find that i am having more fun than ever making the cutouts using my Cricut Machine and Cricut Cartridges. The fun comes from having available the perfect cutout of a picture or a sentiment to go with the special photos I want to put into her album. Each week I plan to get at least one page or two done, which is a fun and memorable journey for me to make, remembering her as a small child growing into a beautiful young woman.

Both of these cartridges are good basic ones to have in your Cricut Machine library. Sentimentals hosts a variety of frames and basic cutouts and Simply Charmed has cute cutouts for every holiday and occasion you would need for both scrapbook layouts and cards.

Speed: Medium

Pressure: Max

Blade Depth: #2

Paper: Use a good weight cardstock as the intricate frames cut out much better with heavy weight cardstock than they do with a lightweight cardstock.

Tools: A must have is the Cricut Essentials Tool Kit. Some cutouts require a bit of extra trimming and the paper trimmer cuts your 12"x12" cardstock down to the 6"x12" required for your Cricut Create if you have that model.

Photo Size vs Frame Size

Your photo size determines your frame size. For instance, <Frame1> cutout with a 51/2" Height will allow for a 2 1/4"High x 1 1/2" Wide photo. My photos were trimmed to be just a bit bigger so as to be able to glue them to the finished frame.

Step 1

Sentimentals Cartridge, Size 5 1/2"

Cut 2 each <Frame1>, page 28, Use Layer Button

Cut 2 each <Frame1>, page 28, Use No other buttons

Cut 2 each <Frame1>, page 28, Use Shadow Button

Step 2

Glue the three pieces together as shown with finished cutout.

Step 3

Center the subject of your photo behind the frame and adhere it to the frame back. Make sure to cutout the photo a bit bigger than what you want to see.

Step 4

I used a coordinating piece of scrapbook paper for one side of the finished layout, cut to 6"x12" and adhere it to the base page.

Adhere the two layers together and place on the scrapbook page, in between your other cutouts.

Step 9

The memo area is important for a scrapbook layout. You need to have an area where you can note the date, occasion, and people (memories of faces do fade at times). Some Cricut cartridges have a cutout for a memo area; I prefer to write on a blank area. I write the name(s), date, and occasion. On this layout I wrote the names on the pictures.

Step 10

After the photos and frames are adhered to the scrapbook cardstock page, you can add embellishments. I found these cute little flowers at Jo-Anne's Fabric.

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